


we lie (beneath the stars at night)

by americium_amicum



Category: K-pop, Korean Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, IT'S A FAKE DATING AU, but not in the way you think, not too angsty i hope, samo endgame (i think), this is because of hawaii, this is really me coping with the dating news
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:13:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22120846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/americium_amicum/pseuds/americium_amicum
Summary: it starts in hawaii, of course. you see, there's a video. innocent enough, if you ask sana, but. apparently, it's big enough of a deal to warrant several drastic measures from the company, the most important of which is this:momo gets into a relationship. has to, really. but it's not with sana.
Relationships: Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana
Comments: 15
Kudos: 170





	we lie (beneath the stars at night)

**Author's Note:**

> i'm back! and this time it's with samo. i've grown very fond of them, probably because they're soulmates and i'm weak for those kinds of things.
> 
> quick disclaimer: i fully support momo and her choices in life. whether that be in dating or anything else.
> 
> anyway, i hope you enjoy!

it is the industry's worst-kept secret: half of the relationships revealed on social media are mostly for PR.

sana hates it, really. the superficiality of it all. she'd always thought of herself as an open book. not without flaws, by any chance, but at least painfully honest. that's something, at least. 

she likes their fans, too. not as much as momo does, but she likes them, nevertheless. most of them are okay. there are a few that - well, she supposes you can't get too lucky, especially in this industry. and anyway, she'll take what she can get. 

really, sana is happy. grateful, even. being on top - it's lonely, sometimes. she's glad she has eight other girls who can make her feel a little less alone, and she's especially thankful that momo is right there bearing the brunt of the storm with her. it's in the little things - momo's hand on the small of her back during practice, or her chin resting on her shoulder. it keeps sana tethered to whatever reality they share - whether or not she likes it. 

sana is - contented. she can take on the world, really, if she wanted to, with nothing but her smile and her best friend smiling right back. that's how she feels, on most days.

and then hawaii happens.

  
  


(it's a little blurry, but: 

they are in a club, sana thinks. it's on one of the big islands. sana had already forgotten whose idea it was, but they're here now, and she's pleasantly buzzed, and isn't that what matters? 

there are no drinks in her hand, however. sana frowns. there _should_ be a drink in her hand. maybe it disappeared, along with her best friend, who is also nowhere to be found. that's something sana needs to fix immediately. 

she feels a body slink up to her from behind, and sana's breath catches in her throat. 

"missed me?" momo murmurs against her shoulder. "i just got another drink."

sana turns around - or at least tries to, considering that there are dozens of bodies all around them that are making it difficult to move. momo makes it a little easier, and places the drink in sana's hand instead. 

"you're the best," sana laughs lightly. takes another gulp of this drink whose name she cannot pronounce, but is sweet enough to keep coming back to, nonetheless. 

"i know," momo hums. the music turns a little dark. heavy, with synth pulsing throughout. "is that why you love me? because i get you free drinks?"

"of course." sana smirks. holds onto one of momo's arms circling her waist. "that, and you're a phenomenal dancer. even if the alcohol makes you a little too handsy for my taste."

momo snorts. "i've never heard you complain before." momo brings her mouth closer to sana's ear. because it's loud, where they are. and maybe, sana leans back into her touch. "besides, those guys have been looking at you for like, half an hour now, and it's kind of getting on my nerves."

sana's eyes flit to her left, where, true enough, a group of foreign-looking men were eyeing her in a manner that was borderline predatory. sana chuckles. ignores them really, because this trip is not about them, and finally, _finally_ , turns around to look at momo.

momo, who stands there gazing darkly at said group of men. they kind of get the hint and walk away, so thankfully they're not actual creeps, but still. it's endlessly amusing to sana, who never misses an opportunity to tease momo for just about anything. 

"are you jealous, momoring?" sana asks, threading her fingers through momo's hair. 

"as if." momo puffs out her chest. "i'm not your best friend for nothing. no one could even compare."

"that's good to know," sana says. she laughs and her head drops onto momo's shoulder. because everything is fuzzy, but the way momo's hand falls onto sana's hip stands out in clear hues. "to be honest, i don't think anyone ever could."

momo's eyes are bright in the red haze of the club. sana feels momo's fingers tighten ever so slightly on her dress, and her head spins. there must be something in that drink, sana decides. she closes her eyes, just for a second, and feels momo's laughter rumble against her chest. 

  
  
  


when sana opens her eyes, she reads 7:05 AM on their bedside clock. there's something pounding against the side of her head. probably the hangover. she looks over to the other side of the bed, and sees momo, hair splayed against the pillows, snoring softly. 

it isn't a surprise, really, that momo's pretty much naked. momo doesn't like to sleep with a lot of clothes on, if she can help it. if anything, the only thing that seems peculiar to sana is that she's in an equal state of undress. 

still, it is impossibly cold in their hotel room. and body warmth, sana muses, has never failed her before. it's not the first time she's seen momo this bare. it's not the first time she's been this bare in front of momo either. growing up together does that, really. it's good enough reason for sana, who ignores the soft _thud_ in her head that refuses to go away.

so she shuffles closer to momo. who, quite predictably, raises one arm in her sleep-induced daze, and keeps it wrapped around sana. this, sana thinks, is the closest to home she's ever been.

sana will look back on this morning, on this moment, in the months to come and think - they were never going to do this right, you know.)

  
  
  


at the end of the day, it all comes down to timing. 

even then, however, sana never sees it coming. 

by all means, it started out as any other day during promotions. it was _supposed_ to be just another day during promotions. there was a performance at some music show. and then a fanmeeting, at which sana spent half of her time annoying momo about her newly found forehead. because she looks good, she really does, even if she wears glasses with no lens on seventy percent of the time. 

momo glares at her, and proceeds to lie down on the wooden stage. sana lies down with half her body right on top of momo's, because what else is there to do? 

sana _wants_ , a little selfishly, to have these moments as hers and hers alone. 

that's not a luxury she can afford, however. and it always bodes well to be reminded of that as much as they possibly can. 

because this is how it happens: 

they're in the van, on the way back to their dorm, when jihyo frowns at her phone. 

"emergency meeting," their leader mumbles. "we have to stop over at the company first."

jeongyeon, who's sitting right next to sana, looks up from her phone. "what?" she turns to their manager. "oppa, did you know about this?"

their manager shakes their head. "no, i only found out a few minutes ago as well. i'm sorry girls, i know you're tired."

"it's okay, oppa," jihyo says. she's already texting nayeon, who's in the second van with the maknaes. "i just hope it wouldn't take too long."

"yeah," momo says cheerily, fighting off a yawn. "but i mean, how bad can it be?"

  
  
  


famous last words, sana thinks. 

because the video being played in front of them, with park jinyoung at the very front of the room, no less - well, bad is kind of an understatement.

to be fair, it's nothing too explicit. it's two girls, who look a lot like sana and momo - who are, actually, sana and momo - dancing in a packed club in hawaii, while quite obviously piss drunk. you couldn't really tell it was them, at first glance, and it leaves a lot of room for doubt. in business talk: it's easy to dismiss the whole thing as nothing more than baseless rumors.

but it is them. sana remembers it too. remembers her hands in momo's hair. remembers momo spinning her around, feeling momo fall against her back in laughter. and she sees it playing it out, in front of them - the way momo grinds against her, always the better dancer between the two of them, pulling sana in.

sana can feel nayeon's raised eyebrows from across the long table. the girls are simmering with questions, but sana only ever cares about the girl next to her. 

momo has her eyebrows furrowed. she doesn't speak, and sana - sana can't bring herself to do so either, even as the video ends.

"that was-" jeongyeon starts, then tries again. "that was something," she finishes lamely.

sana doesn't like that it's been reduced to that. because she can see what this is - and what it could become. they're friends, having the time of their lives. they're young, and they're allowed to be stupid, because they'll move on the next day anyway. 

but the public is not as forgiving. has never been as forgiving as they wanted it to be. it's all too easy to twist small incidents into bigger narratives. sana can almost hear the hushed conversations as they pass by - conversations that become harrowingly louder as they walk away. 

there are too many implications - the fact that they are both girls is only the beginning. it wouldn't even matter that sana has always been obnoxiously affectionate with all of her members - it's cliche, too, but people believe what they want, and reject the truth when they can. 

sana knows this, more than others. they're still hot on her heels, after the incident from earlier that year. sana knows social media, knows all about consequences - they've made sure that she learned her lesson.

she hates that momo has to learn it now too.

"we managed to have the video taken down early on," park jinyoung says. his voice is all business, and they're reminded very quickly of the industry they've chosen to take part in. "hopefully we can keep it that way."

there's something hidden in the dip and rise of his voice. sana doesn't like where this is heading. 

"however," he continues. "we have to take precautions. we can't let mainstream media get a hold of this, which means we have to give them a bone they can chew on. something to keep them distracted."

"a dating scandal," jihyo breathes. "that's what you're going to do, isn't it?"

sana doesn't need to look. knows by the gasps in the room that they've put it all together too, and that park jinyoung is looking at them with no less than an apology on his face. because they know - all too well. this is how it works for them, too.

everything is silent, even as he keeps talking. "i've been in contact with sm. there's an old rumor they could rehash, which might be beneficial, considering that super junior is about to have a comeback soon as well-"

"wait," nayeon interrupts. "what does super junior have to do with this?"

it's momo's voice that cuts through the room. that, sana thinks, means more than anything else. "he means i have to date heechul oppa."

it's a little theatrical, really. almost straight out of a movie. everyone turns to momo with wide eyes, and sana can practically see the gears turning in their heads. 

"momo's right, unfortunately." park jinyoung looks at all of them, and something in sana's chest wrenches out of place. "we'll be working things out with their management. we've yet to finalize the details, of course, but we'll update all of you as soon as we can- especially momo."

the meeting drones on, and sana can see the girls looking back and forth between their managers and the two of them with rapt attention. 

but sana isn't listening anymore. 

she looks at momo, who stares blankly at the wall right behind park jinyoung's head. 

momo is many, many things. she's passionate. determined. a sweetheart too, because momo would never, ever hurt anyone, not on purpose. 

but momo is far from stupid.

truth be told, momo tends to surprise her more than other people do, exactly because sana pays attention to her more than she does for most. momo is smart, but never insincere, and she always says things with such genuine incisiveness that it hasn't even crossed sana's mind that she could mean anything otherwise. 

it's different now, though. something has shifted, and sana can feel it. something irrevocable that permeates through whatever foundations sana and momo had put in place over the years. 

sana wishes she wasn't as angry as she felt. sana wishes she could recognize momo, still, in the fluorescent lighting of the conference room, the line of her jaw cold and impersonal, her hands clenched loosely into fists, and the lies resting at the tip of her tongue.

  
  
  


sana likes to think of herself as someone who can be patient, when the situation calls for it. so she considers it quite a feat, really, when she stays silent the whole ride home. even lets the girls settle into their bedrooms, before pulling momo aside in their living room.

this time, there is no prelude. "why did you agree?"

"it's not like i had a choice," momo tells her dryly. she smiles tiredly - or at least, she tries to. "and besides, what was that thing they said? about there being no small roles, only small actors, or whatever? i think i'll do a good job."

sana can only scoff in disbelief. "c'mon, momo, this isn't a joke." she paces across the living room. momo chooses to lean against the back of the couch. they do not look at each other. "and seriously? heechul oppa?"

momo shrugs. "he's a friend. if anything, i'm just glad it's someone i already know."

"you know people are going to talk." sana turns to face momo directly. she points to some vague space right by the door - because it's always those people who have never cared to take a look at who they are behind the makeup and the outfits who talk the most. "people are going to make assumptions-"

"let them. the whole reason why we're here in the first place is because they can't seem to stop talking about our lives anyway." momo's voice is sharper than sana's ever heard it. it makes her step back a little. it makes momo rise up from the couch. "what makes this any different?"

this feels like an argument, sana thinks. it doesn't sit right with her, really, because she and momo - they don't fight. this isn't them. and that surprises her, more than anything, and the surprise makes her unthinkingly blunt. "how are you so- okay with this?"

"what would you have me do, sana?" there's a sudden shadow of weariness that passes momo's face. it makes her look older. sana wonders once more how much they've actually given up to get to wherever they are, when they signed the dotted line on pages and pages of contracts. "tell management that i refuse to do anything for PR? and for what?"

"you weren't supposed to be like them." sana thinks her voice comes out high-pitched, breaking off at the end in panic. but it doesn't. at least, not entirely. she says everything else in quiet resignation, her voice a low hum in the empty room. "you're not supposed to be part of the bullshit they keep feeding people everyday just so that they can keep making money. you just don't understand-"

"no, sana. you're the only one here who doesn't understand." momo shakes her head. wrings her fingers together, because it's a nervous habit. or just a habit, really. and sana may be angry, but she is never out of practice. not with momo. "this isn't just some scandal. i could lose the only thing i ever dreamt of doing for the rest of my life. i could lose the girls. i could lose you." 

they tease momo a lot these days, about her tantrums. it's a bit of a running joke among the fans, too - that momo is going through puberty, that she picks fights whenever she wants to and then laughs it off.

but this isn't a tantrum. it's anger, barely restrained, rearing its head just above the surface. there's a kind of palpable tension in the air, something charged and flammable that could burn anything it dares to touch. sana flinches back at the sheer force of it, because momo is nowhere close to screaming, but the words are deafening all the same.

"and if you think," momo forges on, the corners of her mouth marred by sharp, jagged lines, "that you have some kind of moral ascendancy, just because i'm lying to protect this thing that we've built our lives on, then sue me for trying, right?"

momo stares at sana, her face unreadable for a second that seems to stretch on for minutes, hours, days. then she walks away, and sana is left alone. 

it's darker, in this room, all of a sudden. smaller too. sana wants to run away and breathe somewhere else, anywhere else, that would feel a little less like a landmine between her ribs.

_i could lose you_ , momo had said to her. the ache pushing itself against her chest, numbing the rest of her body, however, tells sana that it could only ever happen the other way around. 

  
  
  


(it's sana who remembers this first:

"satang," momo slurs, one arm slung lazily around sana's shoulders. "be honest with me, okay?"

"okay?" sana chuckles. they keep stumbling on the pavement on their short walk back to the hotel, but she tries to listen anyway. "what is it?"

momo pauses. maybe for a few seconds, minutes, hours. time always moves a little strangely to sana - even more so when she's drunk. then, momo speaks again. "do you think i'm good enough?"

"yah, momoring," sana says, tone playfully scolding without any of the rough edges. "we debuted like, four years ago. how can you still not know?"

they're silent, after that. sana thinks it's the end of that conversation, and the light of their hotel comes quickly into view. they drag their feet into the lobby, and sana trips on the carpet. she blames this for almost missing whatever momo says next. 

"it's just- it's messed up, you know?" momo sighs, waving her hands emphatically in the air. it makes them lose their balance a bit, but momo remains undeterred, and sana has never _not_ supported momo when she talks about something, so. "one moment, people like us, and then suddenly they don't. it's scary. i don't know if i'm good enough to last, if they'll love me enough even after everything."

sana frowns. they manage to make it into the elevator in one piece, at least, but. this thing that momo says bothers sana for a multitude of reasons that she doesn't even want to touch with a ten foot pole. coping mechanism, she thinks belatedly. "why are you thinking about it anyway?"

"it's nice to remind myself, i guess." momo leans her head back on the cool metal of the elevator panels. sana sort of stares at her neck, which is weird enough on its own. but momo is very pretty like this, so it's only right. "when i'm with you or the girls, i forget about those things. i'm just me."

the elevator dings, and the doors finally open to their floor. sana sighs in relief, and holds onto momo's hand as they amble on to their room.

"anyway," momo adds. "you never answered my question."

"i-" sana exhales loudly. there's no getting around this, she realizes, so might as well. "i hope they do. i don't think we can ever be too sure, but- we'll take it a day at a time, right?"

sana allows the weight of her words to sink in. it takes a while to process for both of their alcohol-muddled minds, but - momo nods slowly. "that makes sense."

"besides," sana tells momo in an attempt at levity. "at the end of the day - you know i'm always going to like you. isn't that the only thing that counts?"

sana stops right in front of their room. grins cheekily at momo, because they've never liked sentimentality, and having too much of it makes sana's stomach flop around in a way she doesn't like. and this is okay, she thinks, because it still works. they're sana and momo - and they still work. 

sana looks at her best friend. for a moment, something flashes across her face that sana can't quite place. it's unnerving, because there isn't anything about momo that sana doesn't know. they've never kept anything from each other, because secrets break people. sana knows this much.

but then, it's gone. and there's something familiar shining in momo's eyes. something akin to sana's favorite song, and anyway, momo has always been all of sana's favorites rolled into one. this will never change. 

momo rests her hand on sana's cheek. pushes her against the door, and breathes like maybe they're standing on the precipice of something they don't have a name for. but they are best friends - this does not change anything, either. 

then, momo kisses sana. and this changes everything else.)

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> so that's the first chapter? i'm not completely set on how the rest is going to go, but i'm looking forward to working on it. it's my first multi-chap fic so, i really want to see this through to the end, even if it may only be a few chapters. 
> 
> p.s. title is taken from young blood by the naked and famous (renholdër remix). chapter 1 title is from touch by shura (CANVAS remix)
> 
> the originals are great, but the remixes suit the vibe of this story more, so.


End file.
